Jenny Bianco, Representative Deputy Lieutenant for Southwark presented the Queen’s Award on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen at a special ceremony for over fifty staff and customers at the Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility off Old Kent Road.
Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia’s Senior Executive Vice-President in the UK & Ireland received the award on behalf of the company for its setting the sustainability benchmark and its new business strategy which focuses on manufacturing green energy and calories and places it at the centre of the circular economy.
The company recycles over one million tonnes of waste annually and converts non-recyclable waste into energy including powering the Southwark District Heating Network which provides heating to five local estates.
Beyond satisfying statutory requirements, Veolia distinguished itself as a social sustainability leader; devoting annually 20,000 hours to charity work, donating £50 million pounds to community projects, systematically engaging with schools and helping unemployed people, including ex-offenders, back into work.
Estelle Brachlianoff said: “It is an honour to be recognised by Her Majesty the Queen for the work we have done over the last five years transforming the business. This award highlights the work all 14,000 members of staff have undertaken to continue to drive the business forward - for us sustainability is not part of our business, it is our business!”
Approximately 160 Queen’s Awards have been announced this year for outstanding business achievement in the fields of International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development.
The awards are made annually by HM The Queen, and are only given for the highest levels of excellence demonstrated in each category. For more information please visit www.veolia.co.uk or join in the conversation on Twitter @VeoliaUK #QueensAward.